1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electrical connectors, more specifically to a stacked connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Connectors are widely utilized as means to connect two devices for communication or data transmission. To meet the requirement of the transmission of large quantities of data, the rate of data transfer is continuously being increased. As the data rates increase, connectors designed for lower transmission speed may have to be redesigned to ensure signal integrity.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional stacked connector 1, and FIG. 2 shows a plurality of terminals 2 and 9 arrayed in the stacked connector 1. The stacked connector 1 includes a housing 11 having upper and lower receptacles 111 and 112 configured to separately hold the contact portions 21 and 91 of the terminals 2 and 9 juxtaposed along the housing 11. The plurality of upper and lower terminals 2 and 9 are densely arranged so that the space required by the stacked connector 1 can be small. Each of the plurality of upper and lower terminals 2 and 9 further includes a barbed portion 22 or 92 connected to the contact portion 21 or 91 and an extension portion 23 or 93 connected to the barbed portion 22 or 92. The extension portion 23 or 93 extends from the barbed portion 22 or 92, is bent vertically, and then extends straight to form an end that can be configured to be soldered to a through hole on a printed circuit board.
The plurality of upper terminals 2 partially received in the upper receptacle 111 may include two differential pairs 24 and 25, between which a ground pin 26, having a similar configuration to that of the terminal 2 of the differential pairs 24 and 25, is disposed. Similarly, the plurality of lower terminals 9 partially received in the lower receptacle 112 may include two differential pairs 94 and 95 and a ground pin 96 disposed between the two differential pairs 94 and 95. The terminals 2 of two differential pairs 24 and 25 received in the upper receptacle 111 have extension portions 23 longer than the extension portions 93 of the lower terminals 9 partially received in the lower receptacle 112. Accordingly, when the terminals 2 of the two differential pairs 24 and 25 are used at data rates of, for example 3 Gbps, signal integrity cannot be ensured due to their longer extension portions 23. In addition, the ground pin 26 or 96 having a configuration similar to the terminal 2 or 9 cannot provide sufficient shielding effectiveness, resulting in higher cross talk and reduced signal integrity. Further, the extension portion 23 or 93 of the terminal 2 or 9 is vertically bent, and such vertically bent terminals 2 may also affect the transmission of signals. Consequentially, certain individuals would appreciate an improved stacked connector.